Narcotic

This article is about the drug classification. For the scuba diving reference, see Nitrogen narcosis. For the sedative agent, see Sedative.

Heroin, a powerful opioid and narcotic.

The term narcotic (pronounced /nɑrˈkɒtɨk/) strictly refers (medically) to any psychoactive compound with morphine-like effects (see Opiate). A Narcotic is defined as a drug as opium or morphine that in moderate doses relieves pain and induces deep sleep. Excessive use can cause tremors and seizures. However, the term is also used colloquially to refer to any psychoactive drug that induces sleep. Examples of narcotics include morphine, laudanum, and heroin.

History

Narcotics are any drugs that cause central nervous system (CNS) depression and often carry a high risk of addiction. As noted above, narcotics may have morphine like qualities but some do not. The term "narcotic" is believed to have been coined by the Greek physician Galen to refer to agents that numb or deaden, causing loss of feeling or paralysis. It is based on the Greek word ναρκωσις (narcosis), the term used by Hippocrates for the process of numbing or the numbed state. Galen listed mandrake root, altercus (eclata) seeds, and poppy juice (opium) as the chief examples. “Narcotic” is a term derived from the Greek word for stupor. It originally referred to a variety of substances that relieved pain and dulled the senses. Now, the term is used in a number of ways. Some people define narcotics as substances that bind at opiate receptors (cellular membrane proteins activated by substances like heroin or morphine) while others refer to any illicit substance as a narcotic. From a legal perspective, narcotic refers to opium, opium derivatives, and their semi-synthetic substitutes. narcotics kill lots of people

Law

United Nations

A looser usage of the word "narcotic" to refer to any illegal or unlawfully possessed drug including marijuana and herion is common worldwide, although these substances are not considered narcotics in a medical or scientific context. The central drug policy making body within the United Nations, for instance, is the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, although the United Nations officially defines a narcotic drug to be "any of the substances, natural or synthetic, in Schedules I and II of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961, and that Convention as amended by the 1972 Protocol Amending the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961" Used in this manner the word "narcotic" is a useful if not wholly accurate label to denote any drug that is subject to the U.S. Controlled Substances Act, or similar legislation elsewhere.

United States

In a U.S. legal context, the term "narcotic" specifically refers to opium, opium derivatives, and their semi-synthetic or fully synthetic substitutes, as well as cocaine and coca leaves.

Because the term is often used so broadly or pejoratively outside of medical contexts, most medical professionals advocate the use of more precise terms such as "opioids" and "opioid analgesics" to refer to the natural, semi-synthetic, and synthetic substances that behave pharmacologically like morphine and are used primarily for their pain-relieving qualities.

See also

• Opioid
• Narc
• Narcotics Anonymous
• Narcoterrorism

External links

• Pharmer.org A non-profit site providing detailed descriptions of most narcotic analgesics
• List of drugs, some of which are classified as "narcotics," in the U.S. Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Not all of the classified ones are chemically narcotic, as described on the top of this page